- Israel hopes to have immunized all of its citizens aged 16 and over by the end of March.
- That schedule would likely make Israel the first country in the world to immunize the vast majority of its population against the pandemic.
- Israel has far surpassed the rest of the world with its vaccination campaign, having already given the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to about one in five citizens.
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Israel hopes to administer COVID-19 vaccines to all its citizens aged 16 and over by the end of March, putting the Middle Eastern country on course to become the first nation in the world to immunize its population against coronavirus .
“We would bring consignment after consignment and complete vaccination for the population over 16 in Israel during March,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sunday in a statement welcoming a new batch of doses from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
Read More: What’s next for COVID-19 vaccines? Here are the 11 most recent programs.
While many countries around the globe have not yet launched vaccination campaigns, Israel has jumped as the world leader. Last week, Netanyahu announced a supply agreement with Pfizer to guarantee enough doses to immunize its adult population by the end of March. Almost one in five Israelis has already received the first dose.
“We will be the first country in the world to emerge from the coronavirus,” declared Netanyahu, naming the country’s vaccination campaign, Operation Getting Back To Life.
On January 10, Israel administered 18.7 doses per 100 people, the highest per capita rate for any country by a wide margin, according to Bloomberg’s vaccination tracker. In comparison, the U.S. administered 2.4 doses per 100 people, well below the goal of immunizing 20 million people by the end of 2020.
Israel’s vaccination campaign was also aided by the country’s small population – less than 9 million – and a compact geographical footprint. Experts also pointed to Israel’s centralized public health system as an asset in its efficient vaccination campaign, reported Susie Neilson of Business Insider.
For the time being, the country has limited vaccination to people 60 years of age or older, as well as to health professionals and people at high risk for serious diseases. More than 72% of that group has been immunized, said the prime minister.